The Blog

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday pardoned an Afghan woman serving a 12-year prison sentence for having sex out of wedlock after she was raped by a relative.

Karzai’s office said in a statement that the woman and her attacker have agreed to marry. That would reverse an earlier decision by the 19-year-old woman, who had previously refused a judge’s offer of freedom if she agreed to marry the rapist.

Despicable journalism that all headlines suggest Karzai simply pardoned the woman, because it is WRONG to imprison a rape victim. In reality, he only did it after she agreed to follow a judges order that she marry her attacker — who is a relative!